To the editor:
For more than a year, all of us in Hillsborough have anxiously waited for news of a developer’s application to establish an off-track-wagering (OTW) business at the former Maestro 206 restaurant. On June 9, the New Jersey Racing Commission completed its review of the application and deemed it complete.
As residents may recall, existing law allows the Racing Commission to approve OTW applications, though not before a public hearing. Residents may also recall, I introduced legislation that would reform existing law by placing approval for OTWs where it rightfully belongs — with local land use boards. Unfortunately, my legislation has not advanced.
The required public hearing is scheduled for July 22 at 7 p.m. in the Hillsborough High School auditorium. Under existing law, which seemingly approves OTWs by fiat, this public hearing looks more ‘window dressing’ than anything else. The public hearing does, however, provide opportunity to publicly question whether or not the OTW developer has filed and the Racing Commission has approved the application in a manner perfectly consistent with existing law. I encourage fellow residents to join me at the hearing in making inquiries.
Of course, in attending, we should also make the case for why OTWs belong in densely populated urban areas desperately in need of economic development, not Hillsborough. Doing so may be futile, given the Racing Commission’s conflicted role as approving authority, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t exercise our right to free speech and, at the very least, experience the satisfaction of speaking our minds.
Jack M. Ciattarelli
Hillsborough
State Assembly member
16th Legislative District
